THE FIRST YEAR OF THE SETTLEMENT 135 



on permanent occupation of a portion of the property claimed by 

 the Association, Batman does not appear to have come in any way 

 into collision with him on this visit. He fixed upon a site for the 

 erection of his house, which had been brought over in the Norval, 

 for the occupation of Dr. Cotter, doubtless conferred fully with his 

 brother as to the attitude to be maintained towards the intruders, 

 indicated the grazing grounds for the stock and the duties of the 

 shepherds, and then hurried back to Launceston to push on the 

 claim to Government sanction, to arrange for further supplies of 

 stock, to carry out the proposed division of the property amongst 

 the members of the Association, and to wind up his own interests 

 in Tasmania, and transfer them, with his wife and family, to the 

 priacipality which he thought he had won. 



Meanwhile the contending parties on the Yarra were all in 

 happy ignorance of the thunderbolt that had been launched against 

 them from Sydney some two months before. The Lieutenant- 

 Governor of Van Diemen's Land, who, as we have seen, had private 

 as well as official reasons for wishing the Association success, had 

 speedily transmitted Batman's report to the Colonial Office, com- 

 mending the writer's claim to some recognition in the shape of a 

 land grant, and speaking generally in high terms of the men form- 

 ing the partnership. He was discreet enough to assume that their 

 claim to a title derived from a purchase from the aborigines could 

 not be recognised by the British Government. He went on to 

 state that, not having seen the Commission of Sir Eichard Bourke, 

 he did not know whether Port Phillip was included in his jurisdic- 

 tion. If so, he was satisfied that everything that was proper would 

 be done to vindicate the rights of the Crown. But if it were not 

 within the boundaries of New South Wales, then he recommended 

 that a military officer should be sent from Hobart with a small 

 establishment to see justice done to the natives, to duly control 

 any " squatters," and to adjust the preliminaries for its occupation 

 under such regulations as the British Government deemed most 

 desirable. He recognised that the "Company" was already pro- 

 ceeding to take possession, and as probably other individuals would 

 follow that example, he urged the importance of being made ac- 

 quainted at the earliest period with the views which His Majesty's 



